Giant Garter Snake vs. Western Terrestrial Garter Snake

The owner's pair: both live in the Central Valley, where their records overlap. A: Dull yellow or orange, often faint in the Giant Garter Snake; dull yellow; dark spots between the stripes in the Western Terrestrial Garter Snake. B: Side stripes faint; two rows of dark checks in the Giant Garter Snake; a clear pale side stripe in the Western Terrestrial Garter Snake. The Giant Garter Snake is the biggest garter (to 5 ft) and lives in marshes, sloughs and rice-field canals; it is threatened, so do not handle it.

Photographs via iNaturalist under Creative Commons licences; the photographers are credited on the sheet.

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